The Oversleep Excuse – Holding Hands

Hailing from Japan, the Oversleep Excuse seems to be a mixed band of Japanese (or maybe Japanese-Americans or something, I don’t know) and foreigners. This throws me back to when I lived in Daegu, South Korea and one of the best bands in town was a mixture of a foreign guy and some South Koreans. That band sounded a lot like Yo La Tengo, and Yo La Tengo has had so many phases it’s easy enough to pick and choose pieces that are reflected in the Oversleep Excuse, who are so precious that they make me sigh indie, yet I can’t think of a single band to compare them to.

The Yo La Tengo influence is there though, in the softer edges, in the hushed and whispered vocals (this is talking quiet YLT only), in the guitar meanderings that settle someplace for a short while, and only briefly. Sound effects creep in and out of the music, adding texture and never detracting from the melodic points. There’s harmony and there’s singular singing. There’s fun and there’s games. There’s a bit of darkness. There’s a lot of sunshine and romance. And the expected resulting bliss.

http://www.myspace.com/theoversleepexcuse